RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – At the midpoint of a weeklong Mideast tour, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is heading to Cairo for his first face-to-face meetings with Egypt's top leaders. He planned to stress the value of close military ties between the two countries.
Washington wants to maintain a good working relationship with the Egyptian military as the Mideast linchpin struggles to make a transition to democracy.
Hagel was scheduled to meet Wednesday with President Mohammed Morsi and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Hagel was flying to Cairo from Riyadh, where he met Tuesday evening with top officials, including Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who serves as the kingdom's defense minister as well.
Hagel also held talks Tuesday in Jordan and Israel.
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